Merlin and the Winchesters Vs Lucifer
by SwedishMerlinFan
Summary: Sam is on the brink to say yes to become Lucifer's vessel. As a last resort, Sam and Dean follows a lead to England, to find the Warlock Emrys. Together, they will fight to try to stop the apocolypse.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

 **A/N: This is my first try at a Supernatural story and a crossover. I hope you like it!**

Dean sighed and closed the book he was reading with a bang. Dust flew out of it as he did, making both brothers cough.

"Nothing in this damn book either." He said.

He put the book on the floor between his and Sam's motel beds, in an ever-growing pile of books and files. They were staying at a motel outside a small town, and on their beds and on the floor lay the town's library's entire section of books about Lucifer and his cage.

"All that reading for nothing." He said. "I can't believe people do this for _fun."_

Sam looked up from his book.

"Usually people's life doesn't depend on them finding the information. I will admit, that does take away the fun part of reading. Also, they read to find information about something they find interesting."

"Interesting things can't be found in books." Dean said. "They are found in bars and strip clubs."

Sam didn't even know what to answer to that.

"Just… keep looking." He said. "It must be a way to trap Lucifer in his cage without having him possess me."

Dean could hear his brother's voice crack. He studied Sam, who had gone back to desperately reading through his book. It looked ancient and _extremely_ boring.

"Hand me the Bible." Dean said.

"Again?" Sam asked confused.

Dean had already read through it once, sighing the whole time.

"If there is any chance that sleeping-pill can save my little brother, I will read it ten times if I have to." Dean said.

Sam smiled, and Dean felt happy, satisfied. Recently, after all the crap his brother had gone through, any day Dean could make Sam smile he counted as a good day. But before Dean had time to once again read about how God created Earth, his phone went off. _Bobby,_ it said on the display.

"Tell me you got something." Dean said, not bothering to say hello.

"Well hello to you too idjit." Bobby said in the other end. "I know the world is ending and all, but manners Dean, manners.

"Sorry Bobby." Dean said and put him on speaker. "Hello Bobby. _Please,_ tell me you got something."

"What am I, your grandma? I didn't call just to chit chat. Of course I got something!"

"Tell us, please Bobby." Sam said, and Dean could hear hope in his voice.

"I have spent the last days looking up people and creatures with power strong enough to stop Lucifer. After narrowing them down a bit, I only have one name left, besides God. Emrys."

"Emrys?" Sam echoed. "Never heard of him."

"He is a warlock, and I powerful one it seems. The Druids once said he was the most powerful sorcerer ever to walk the Earth."

"Sounds fantastic." Dean said. "Where can we find him?"

"England." Bobby said.

"England?" Dean said. "But that means…."

"Yes," Bobby said, and the boys could swear they could hear him smile. "Have a nice flight boys!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

A day later, Dean stopped their rental car near a small lake in England. He turned the engine off, and the brothers stepped out of the car.

"Somebody needs to build a very long bridge between the US and Europe." Dean said. "Because there is no way I will everfly for that long ever again."

"Sorry Dean," Sam said, not sorry at all. "But you will need to take the flight back home too."

"Not funny Sam." Dean muttered.

Sam laughed, and all Dean's bitterness disappeared at the sound.

"Are we sure we are in the right place?" Dean said.

"Bobby said that the file he found about Emrys mentioned the lake Avalon. This is that lake. It is a place as good as any to start digging."

"Okay. Let's go back to town. I can ask around for this Emrys, and you can bury your head in the books at the library as you usually do." Dean said.

"Sounds good." Sam said.

They took a last look at the lake of Avalon, before climbing into the car and driving back to town.

A couple of hours later, the brothers met again at a small diner.

"Any luck?" Dean said.

"Nothing on Emrys. But I did learn something interesting about the lake we visited. Did you know it is believed to be _the_ Lake of Avalon?"

"The what?" Dean said.

"Dude." Sam said. "Lake of Avalon. King Arthur and Merlin?"

"You are such a nerd." Dean said.

"Jerk." Sam answered. "So how about you? Any luck?"

"I talked to an old lady. She claims to know everyone in this town, and said no one here is named Emrys. She said however that there is an old man living an hour away outside of town. He keeps to himself. Apparently, he is pretty weird, but she said that if anyone _is_ or _know_ anything about Emrys, it is him."

"It is worth checking out." Sam said and waved at a waitress, asking her for the bill.

The brothers left the diner and climbed into the car. After an hour of driving, the road suddenly stopped. In front of them was nothing but trees.

"The old lady said that he lived about a mile on foot from the road." Dean said.

"Then I guess we will walk." Sam said.

They got their gear out of the trunk and started walking.

"I am scared Dean." Sam suddenly said, after about twenty minutes of walking.

"It is just trees Sammy." Dean said.

"That is not what I meant."

"I know." Dean said.

He was scared too, but he couldn't admit it. Not right now, when Sam needed him to have hope.

"What if there is no other way? What if I have to say yes to Lucifer? Maybe that is for the best. Two evils in one body."

Dean stopped, and turned around to face his brother. Anger and devotion shone in his eyes.

"Don't you ever, _ever_ say that again. Or I will bloody kill you myself. You are not evil Sam."

Sam nodded, but he couldn't convince himself.

"Why else am I the true vessel of Lucifer?"

Before Dean could answer, he was interrupted by a sudden sound.

"Quick, hide!" Dean said.

The brothers hide behind a tree each. Dean slowly peeked from behind his tree, and then suddenly hide again.

"What is it?" Sam whispered.

"It is an old man." Dean said. "Very old, maybe eighty. He…"

"You can come out." An old man's voice interrupted. "I know you are there."

Sam looked at his older brother, and Dean nodded in agreement. They stepped out from their hiding spots, guns ready. In front of them stood an old man. He was maybe eighty years old, his face full of wrinkles. He was wearing a long red robe, and had long white hair and a white beard. He rolled his eyes at the brothers' guns.

"Please. I have been following you for ten minutes. If I wanted to kill you, I would have already."

"Who are you?" Dean asked.

A little, almost invisible smile played on the old man's lips.

"What kind of a damn fooled question is that?" he said. "I am who I am, and I am who I was and I am who I will always be."

"What?" Dean said.

Sam smiled.

"He is not wrong." Sam said.

"I don't have time for games." Dean said, and drew his knife. "Tell me who you are!"

The old man said nothing. Suddenly, Dean rushed forward, turned the old man around and pressed his knife into the old man's back.

"Tell me who you are!"

The old man didn't even put up a fight, but he still didn't say anything.

"Are you Emrys?" Sam suddenly asked.

The old man jumped a little, a surprised look on his face.

"I have been called that, yes." He finally said. "A long time ago. Who are you?"

"It doesn't matter." Dean said.

"Dean." Sam said.

Then he turned to the old man.

"My name is Sam Winchester. That is my brother Dean. We need your help."

"No." Emrys said immediately.

"We haven't even asked yet." Sam said.

"The answer is still no." Emrys said.

"Do it or I will put the knife through you." Dean said.

"Dean." Sam said.

"I really wouldn't do THAT," Emrys said. "because if you do THAT I…."

"You what?"

"I wouldn't be able to help you, would I?"

Sam smiled. He could see that Emrys wasn't bothered by Dean's knife. In fact, it looked like he was enjoying himself, and Sam got the feeling that he was just messing around with them, and could break free if he so wanted.

"I like him." Sam said.

Emrys locked eyes with Sam.

"You are smart. I like smart. Your clotpole of a brother, not so much."

"Hey!" Dean said.

Forgetting himself, he pressed the knife harder into the warlock's back.

" _Dean!"_ the warlock yelled. "It is a knife, it does hurt."

"Sorry."

Sam had to keep himself from laughing at Dean's surprised face.  
"Now follow me." Emrys said, making himself free from Dean's grip. "Because my guess isn't that you came all this way just to run me through with a knife."

"So you _will_ help?" Sam asked.

"I didn't say that. But I can at least hear you out."

 **A/N: And there is part 2! I hope you liked it. A huge thank you for reading, favouring, following and reviewing. Have a great morning/day/night!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"You know this is a stupid idea, right?" Dean said.

He and Sam were following Emrys deeper into the woods. He hadn't said anything since they started walking.

"Dean." Sam tried.

"No Sam, no. This is not just a stupid idea. This is a crazy stupid idea. In fact, it might be one of your worst ideas yet, and you have had a few. I mean, this is number one in the handbook about how to not get killed – 'Don't follow strangers, and especially warlocks, to their homes.'"

"Dean, I know it sounds crazy, but I trust him."

"Why Sam, why? You don't know the guy."

"I can't really explain it Dean. But it is sort of like I can _feel_ his powers. They are really strong, but they are also very light, good. It feels like being wrapped in a warm and comfortable blanket, knowing you are completely safe."

Dean gave Sam a look he couldn't quite read.

"When I was on the demon blood, I could feel when demons were close by. I can feel his presence in the same, only it's not dark. It is very light. This man may be many things, but one of them is _good._ "

"Okay, that is weird." Dean said.

"We are here." Emrys suddenly said.

They had stopped in a clearing.

"'Here'?" Dean said. "What is 'here'?"

Emrys just raised his hand, and out of the blue, where there seconds ago had been a clearing, stood now a small house, surrounded by a small fence.

"My home." Emrys said. "Let's go inside."

"Wait, wait. Just stop." Dean said and Emrys turned around.

The brothers stood with their mouths open, blinking as if they couldn't believe their eyes. Emrys chuckled at their expressions.

"That is… impressive." Sam said.

"Creepy is a better word for it." Dean said.

"Welcome to my home." Emrys said.

He started walking towards the gate, and Sam and Dean slowly followed him. The house was small, single floor and looked old. It was made out of light wood, and had a thatched roof. It was covered in ward marks, some neither Sam or Dean had seen before.

"Your house is… warlocky." Dean said.

 _Seriously_? Sam told Dean with a look and a raised eyebrow.

"It is far enough from idiots like you." Emrys said.

"Hey!" Dean said.

Sam chuckled. He had now reached the gate, and the moment he entered the garden, he was overthrown with a strong force that nearly took the breath out of him.

"What was that?" he asked.

"What?" Dean said.

"You didn't feel that?" Sam said.

"I didn't feel anything. Sam, are you okay?"

Sam looked over to Emrys, who was giving him a curious look.

"Yes." Sam said. "It was probably nothing."

Dean, not quite believing him, let it go, and they entered the house. They entered a room full of bookcases, covered from floor to roof with books, jars, pots and bowls. It felt cosy, medieval, with no modern technology or furniture in site.

"Don't touch anything." Emrys said.

He went over to a fireplace to start a fire, and Sam followed him.

"Your magic must be very strong." He whispered. "Because that is what I felt right?"

Emrys nodded.

"Why? How can I feel your magic?"

Emrys opened his mouth to answer, but before he could, he was interrupted by a loud shatter.

"Dean!" he yelled before even looking over at the older Winchester.

By Dean's feet lay a shattered pot.

"I… I hope that wasn't important." Dean said.

"Just sit down." Emrys said.

To Dean's surprise, he saw Emrys eyes flash gold, and the next thing he knew, he was forced down on a chair by an invisible force.

"Hey!" He yelled. "That is not fair."

Emrys smiled a small smile.

"Maybe not, but it is much better. Alright, let's sit down and talk."

Sam and Emrys sat down next to Dean.

"Tell me why you are here." Emrys said.

Sam drew a deep breath, and then he started talking. He told the old man about accidentally freeing Lucifer and starting the apocalypse, how he and Dean was the true vessels of Lucifer and Michael, but how Michael had found a vessel in their half-brother Adam instead.

"Lucifer is waiting for me to say ye… that word, but I won't. There must be a way to stop him." Sam said.

"We have read every fricking book on the planet," Dean exaggerated, "but still nothing."

"The only thing we have found is a way to drag Lucifer back to his cage. But that requires strong magic, very strong. You are the only one who can help us." Sam said. "Can you please help us stop the apocalypse and to stop Lucifer?"

Emrys watched the two brothers, a stone look on his face.

"No." he said.

The brothers were taken aback.

"No?" Sam said.

"No."

"But it is the end of the world." Sam tried.

"It is the fricking apocalypse!" Dean said.

"The answer is still no."

"Why, do you have something better to do?" Dean said.

"I just don't care about it anymore." Emrys said.

 _And I made a promise. I am done._ He thought for himself.

"How can you say that! It is your home! And innocent lives are at stake."

"I am sorry, but the answer is no."

"You son of a bitch. You selfish, son of a bitch!" Dean flew on his feet and ran out the door.

Emrys turned to Sam.

"I am sorry Sam, but I have my reasons."

 _I made a promise. I am done._

It was like a mantra. Sam didn't answer. He looked so hopeless, and Emrys started to question his decision.

 _No!_ his inner voice called. _You are done!_

Suddenly Dean entered the house. He was soaking wet.

"Dean, what…?" Sam asked.

"It is pitch-black outside." Dean said and looked at his clothes. "And yeah, it is raining."

"There is a guestroom over there." Emrys said and pointed at a door. "You are welcome stay the night if you want to."

Dean looked like he was going to protest, but then he went over to the guestroom without a word. Sam gave Emrys a small nod, an unreadable look on his face, and went after his brother. Emrys watched as Sam closed the door and sighed heavily, resting his head in his arms. He was tired. Angry, and so, so tired. A thousand years of stopping magical creatures and saving the earth did that to you. And what had he gotten in return? Nothing, absolutely nothing. So, some place along the way, he had given up. He couldn't do this anymore, and, more importantly, he didn't _care_ anymore. He didn't care what happened to him, didn't care what happened to the world. All he had ever wanted for over a thousand years was to see his friend again, one way or another. But no matter what he did, no matter how much good he did or how many lives he saved, it still wasn't enough. So, he had given up. He no longer cared.

"NO!"

Emrys' thoughts were interrupted by an abrupt call of despair. It was Sam's voice. There was something in the young man's voice, something that awoke an old memory, that made Emrys rise on his feet and quickly go over to the guestroom. When he reached the room, he saw Dean sitting by Sam's bed. Sam was asleep, twitching from side to side, sweat drifting off his forehead.

"No!" He yelled.

"Sam." Dean said, roughly shacking his brother shoulders. "Sammy, wake up!"

When Emrys saw Sam's face a wave of memories and emotions hit him, and he immediately knew what was going on. Even though it had been so long ago, he knew.

"Sam? Sammy!" Dean yelled.

"May I?" Emrys said.

Dean jerked up at the sound of his voice.

"Can you help him?" He said.

Emrys nodded, and Dean backed away in approval. Emrys went to sit by Sam's bed.

"Sam, calm down." he said and touched his forehead.

Dean saw Emrys' eyes turn gold as he uttered a word Dean didn't understand. Sam immediately stopped twitching, and he opened his eyes.

"Emrys?" he said when he saw the old warlock.

Emrys nodded.

"You have visions." he said matter-of-factly.

Sam nodded.

"How long has this been going on?" Emrys asked.

"A while." Sam said truthfully. "And it keeps getting worse."

Emrys nodded in understanding.

"Have you experienced anything else strange? Visions during the day? Being able to move things with you mind? Extreme headaches?"

"Yes, yes and yes." Sam said.

Emrys sat quite for a long time, thinking hard.

"Alright." He finally said. "Try to get some sleep. And in the morning, you will tell me your story again and everything you know about Lucifer and the cage, and I will do everything I can to help you."

"You will?" The brothers said in unison.

"Yes. But for tonight, I will give you a potion to help you sleep Sam."

"Thank you Emrys." Sam said, and the old man gave him a faint smile.

He rose and went out to the kitchen, picking out a potion from one of the cabinets. When he turned around, Dean stood leaning against the doorway.

"You knew exactly what to do." Dean said. "Have you seen this before?"

"Yes." Emrys said, and Dean could swear he saw sadness in the old man's eyes. "Once upon a time, an old friend of mine had visions in her sleep, just like Sam."

"What happened to her?" Dean asked.

Emrys didn't answer, his head bowed.

"Oh." Dean said.

The old man looked at him, and the sadness was gone. Left was only determination.

"Don't worry." He said. "I will do everything in my power to help your brother Dean."

 **A/N: Hi everyone! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Thank you for reading, following, reviewing and favouring. As always, have a great morning/day/night!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

He woke up the next day, feeling stronger and more rested than he had in years. He got dressed, and walked out to the kitchen to start the breakfast preparations. When he passed the mirror on the kitchen wall, he suddenly stopped, staring. Staring back was a young skinny man with raven black hair and blue eyes.

Merlin smiled, and his young, goofy reflection smiled back.

Sam woke by the sound of footsteps in the kitchen. He looked over at his brother, who was snoring loudly. Sam rolled his eyes and shook Dean's shoulder lightly. Dean woke with a groan, and slowly sat up.

"Come on, let's go out to Emrys."

The brothers rose to their feet, and Sam opened the door. Just to immediately close it.

"What is it?" Dean snapped.

"The person out there isn't Emrys." Sam said.

"Then who is it?" Dean said.

"How should I know?" Sam said.

Dean pulled out his gun, counted the bullets and reloaded the gun.

"Witch killing bullets." He explained.

Sam nodded, and signalised that his gun had the same. They hid their guns and left the guestroom. The young man in the kitchen turned to them at the sound of their door opening, and smiled.

"Good morning." He said.

Without warning, Dean pulled out his gun.

"Who are you and what have you done to Emrys?" he asked.

"Wow!" The man said and raised his hands. "Dean, it is me. I am Emrys."

"You can't expect me to believe that." Dean said. "Prove it."

"Sam had visions last night, and the last thing I did was to agree to help you." The young man said.

He could see that the brothers weren't convinced.

"Also: I am who I am and I am who I was and I am who I will always be."

Dean slowly lowered his gun.

"Emrys?"

The young man nodded.

"What happened to the old man?" Sam asked.

"It is a long story. Let's sit down. I will tell you everything, and if you still trust me afterwards, you will tell me everything I need to know and I will do everything I can to help you."

The Winchesters agreed, and the all sat down in some old couches in front of the fireplace. Emrys took a deep breath, hesitated for a second and then started talking.

"I will start at the beginning, with my name. To the magical and supernatural world, I am known as Emrys. My given name, the name I like to go by and the name you and the world might know me as, is Merlin."

"Merlin?" Dean asked.

"Like Merlin who was friends with King Arthur in the 600th century?" Sam asked. "You are named after him?"

"Nerd." Dean muttered under his breath.

Merlin blushed.

"No way!" Sam said, realizing what Merlin wasn't telling them.

"What?" Dean asked, not understanding.

"You aren't?" Sam said.

"What?! What have your nerdy mind come up with?" Dean asked.

Sam ignored that comment. He was too excited.

"Dean, this is _the_ Merlin. The Merlin from the legends about King Arthur."

"I am." Merlin confirmed.

"But that would make you what, 1500 years old?" Dean said.

"More or less." Merlin said. "I stopped counting after a thousand."

"Looking good for an old guy." Dean complimented.

"So… how?" Sam asked.

"I will tell you everything." Merlin said. "First off, forget everything you think you know about Camelot and King Arthur. History got it all wrong."

Sam and Dean nodded.

"I think I better start at the day I arrived in Camelot and first met Prince Prat." Merlin said with a sad smile.

And then he started his story. He told the brothers the background story about King Uther's ban of magic. He told them about Gaius, the court physician who had become like a father to him, and that his mother had send Merlin to him to learn about his magic.

"The first thing I saw when I arrived was an execution. I saw Uther standing on a balcony, sentencing a young man to death for practicing magic. And right after, he told everyone there would be a feast to celebrate the ban of magic. I felt sick."

Sam's heart broke for the man when he told them about constantly living in fear of his powers, but mostly living in fear for his life. He was so close to Uther all the time after accidently becoming Arthur's manservant, and one small mistake could have cost him his life. They learnt about his destiny, to protect the Once and Future King and reunite the land of Albion, and Sam recognised the huge burden he saw in Merlin's eyes. He felt the same in his entire body. He also understood Merlin's frustration about not being able to share anything with his friends.

"The important part of my story starts several years after I came to Camelot. At the big, final battle. When Arthur fought Mordred."

Merlin suddenly became quiet.

"Merlin?" Sam asked gently. "Are you okay?"

Merlin nodded carefully.

"Yes, I am. It is just…. This is the hardest part."

Sam gave him a small supporting smile, and Merlin drew strength from that to continue.

"Mordred injured Arthur. A piece of his blade was stuck in Arthur, and I couldn't use my magic to draw it out. My magic wasn't strong enough, and I had to take him to an old lake to be able to heal him. I told him about my magic on the way. He didn't take it well. Arthur didn't make it to the spring. He died on the way, in my arms, and I had to bury him myself."

The last part was just a whisper.

Merlin looked up, and saw to his surprise that both brothers had tears in their eyes. The men sat quiet for a while before Merlin shrugged his shoulders.

"Wow." He said. "1500 years and you expect this to get easier. It doesn't. And I am afraid the rest of the story isn't much happier."

"If you have the strength, we can manage it." Sam reassured.

Merlin drew his breath, and then nodded.

"After Arthur's death, I was promised that one day, when needed the most, Arthur would return. So I did my waiting, and did everything I could to keep the world safe. I have saved it more times than I can count. But it was never enough. So one day, I couldn't do it anymore, and I stopped."

"You stopped what?" Dean said.

"Everything. I stopped trying to stop magical beings from exposing the magical world. I stopped trying to prevent evil from doing evil stuff. I just stopped." Merlin said.

"Wait." Sam said. "You just let magic beings get away with hurting people?"

"Never hurting. But using their magic in public, yes."

Sam just looked at him.

"I was promised that Arthur one day would come back. So when the black plague hit Europe, I thought I would finally see my friend. But he didn't show. Then came the great famine to the UK during the 19th century, but still no Arthur. TWO world wars came and went, but no Arthur. I kept doing good, but no matter what I did I still didn't get my friend back. It has been over a thousand years, and I am tired of waiting."

"So you just gave up?" Dean said.

"Dean." Sam warned.

Dean ignored him.

"How dare you?" Dean said. "You have all this power, power to do good, and you just gave up. We have all lost people. It is part of the job. But we are still fighting. We don't have the luxury of giving up."

Fire burned in Merlin's eyes. Sam could feel the magical electricity building up. If Merlin didn't calm down, something would happen soon.

"I fought for a thousand years." Merlin hissed, his voice full of anger and power. "I watched all the people I loved grow old and die."

He looked over at Dean.

"I can sense that you are tired. That you are sick of saving people and places over and over without getting anything back. Well, get used to it. I have done everything in my power, and all I have ever asked for is to get my friend back. I have fought griffins, witches, bandits. I have been punched, poisoned and nearly prosecuted for witchcraft. I have saved the world from Nazis, nuclear wars and natural disasters. And yet that hasn't been enough. Whatever God or supernatural higher force is out there, he, she or it clearly doesn't care about me. So, I think I have the right to not care about them, or their creation. So can you really blame me for giving up?"

Dean looked furious, but Sam couldn't help to feel sorry for the man.

"No." Sam said. "At least I can't. When Dean died two years ago and went to hell, I thought I was going to die from grief and hopelessness. It was the wort time of my life, but I got him back after four months, even though it felt like years. I can't even imagine what it would be like to live without him for over a thousand years. Especially when being promised that he would return."

Merlin slowly turned to Dean.

"You…. you came back from the dead?" he asked.

Dean nodded. Merlin gasped, tears visible in his eyes. He turned his face up, speaking to the ceiling.

"I have waited. I have done everything I could. And you send _him_ back after four months, FOUR MONTHS. You can take this grand destiny that I am supposed to have and…"

He fell down on his knees, tears in his eyes.

"I don't want to wait anymore." He said, tears now running down his face. "I have never complained. I have always done what I am suppose too do, hidden in the shadows. So please, give me my friend back. You owe me that much."

Sam and Dean looked at each other, and then over to the crying warlock. After a short while, Sam sat down on his knees next to Merlin, he put a hand on Merlin's shoulder, and Merlin slowly looked up at the younger Winchester. Sam gave him a faint smile. Merlin gave one back, and then rose.

"I might not get my friend back for a while," he said, "but I will help you."

"Thank you Merlin." Sam said.

Dean looked troubled.

"Careful so you don't hurt yourself Dean." Merlin teased. "What are you thinking of?"

"There is one thing that I don't understand." He said. "Why are you no longer an old man?"

"I gave up on saving the world after I stopped a planned armed attack during the Cold War. As a punishment for stopping, I got trapped in my older body. The Universe has a sick policy like that. Do good things, get nothing back. _Do_ nothing, get punished."

"So what has changed?" Dean asked. "Why are you a kid again?"

"First off, I am over 1500 years old. I am not a kid. Think about it, in my eyes, you are still a newborn. Second, to answer your question. I think that me deciding to help you last night got my own body back."

"Why _did_ you decide to help us?" Sam asked.

Merlin hesitated for a moment.

"Back in Camelot," he finally said. "My friend had nightmare visions."

"You mentioned an old friend last night." Dean said.

"Yes." Merlin said. "I think you may have heard of her. Her name was Morgana."

"Morgana? As in _the_ Morgana?" Sam asked.

"Yes." Merlin said sadly. "She was my friend back then, and then she turned evil, and that was mostly because she was scared of her visions, which was part of her magic. I didn't help her. She was scared because her magic was being born, and I didn't help her, because I was scared to expose my own magic. In the end, she chose to use her magic for evil, and it ended with her killing almost everyone I loved. Arthur, Gwaine and in the end, her, it was all my fault."

He looked at the two brothers.

"I won't make the same mistake again. I can feel that you are stronger than her Sam, maybe not in power, but in determination. But I will not abandon another person again. I will not make the same mistake twice. And if I at the same time can stop Lucifer from destroying the earth I have protected for so long, then count me in."

 **A/N: Chapter four is up. Yay! I hope you guys enjoyed it. As always, thank you for reading, following, favouring and reviewing. Have a Merry Christmas, Happy holidays or just a great day!**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The conversation in the small house was interrupted by a phone going off. Dean picked the phone up and answered.

"Cas." He said.

" _Dean."_ A monotone voice said on the other end. _"Where are you? Are you alright? Where is Sam? I can't sense you."_

Dean felt bad when he heard Castiel's worried voice.

"I am sorry Cas." Dean said and put the phone on speaker so Merlin and Sam could hear him too. "We are alright. We are in England. We found someone who might be able to help us defeat Lucifer."

" _You have? Who?"_

"His name is Merlin. Your upstairs friends may know him as Emrys."

" _You found Emrys?"_ Castiel asked confused.

"Yes. Wait. You knew about Emrys and you didn't tell us? Why?"

" _I thought he was a myth. And if he wasn't, he should have been dead by know."_

"You are a fricking ANGEL Castiel! You of all people should now that all myths are real!"

Dean shook his head.

Merlin gave Sam a confused look.

"Did he say angel?" Merlin whispered.

Sam nodded.

"What do you know?" Merlin said. "1500 years old and still learning new things."

" _It doesn't matter now."_ Castiel said over the phone, answering Dean's outburst. _"Where are you? I can't sense you."_

"That is because of the warding marks." Merlin said. "I keep them up to avoid all sorts of unwelcomed guests."

" _Who was that?"_ Castiel asked.

"That was Merlin." Dean answered before turning to the warlock. "Do you think you can make an exception for our friend? He is one of the good guys, I promise."

Merlin gave Sam a look, and Sam nodded in agreement.

"Fine." Merlin said.

He uttered some words that neither Dean nor Sam recognised, and then his eyes turned gold. Sam could feel Merlin's power radiate from him.

"It is done." Merlin said to Castiel. "Make sure to come here quick so I…"

He didn't have time to say more before he saw a man appear out of nowhere in his kitchen.

"… can put them back up again." Merlin finished his sentence.

"Cas." Dean said.

"Hello Cas." Sam greeted.

"Sam, Dean." The man, who Merlin guessed was Castiel, greeted.

He was a thin man in his mid-thirties, with black hair and a grave look on his face. He was wearing a suit and tie under a long, beige trench coat. He stepped over to Merlin.

"Hello. My name is Castiel. I am an angel of the Lord." He said matter-of-factly. "It is an honour to finally meet the mighty Emrys." Castiel pulled out his hand gave Merlin a short nod, which, coming from Cas, was almost a bow.

"Hello." Merlin said stunned.

Then excitement and curiosity filled his eyes, and a small smile played on his lips.

"It is an honour to meet you as well Castiel. I have heard of angels but never met one. When all of this is over, I would love to have a long talk with you. I have so many questions."

Castiel nodded, and Sam smiled at Merlin's newfound excitement.

"Right." Merlin then said, his eyes flashing in gold. "The wards are now back up again, but I have made sure that they will let you pass Castiel. It is great that you are here by the way, because we must do some research first before we start planning, and we could use the extra pair of eyes. Wait here."

Merlin was practically bouncing away in newfound excitement and determination. The brothers and the angel gave each other a confused look, but before they had time to say anything, Merlin came back, carrying ten heavy books in hand. Behind him, over twenty books came swaying in a trail, each lying down on the table in the middle of the room. Merlin turned around, and smiled at the impressive look in Sam's eyes, the curious look in Castiel's and the horrified look in Dean's over the growing pile of books.

"Shall we start?" Merlin said.

It didn't take long before Dean started sighing.

"Dean." Sam tried.

"Shut up Sam." Dean said.

"Jerk." Sam teased.

"Bitch." Dean replied.

The brothers smiled at each other. Merlin smiled at their bickering, but at the same time, it made him sad. The Winchesters' relationship reminded him so much about the relationship he had with Arthur, and Merlin felt his spirit sink.

An hour later, Dean finally closed the book he was reading.

"I won't read another word." He said.

"Yeah, be careful so you don't learn something." Sam teased. "Thinking can be bad for you."

"Shut up Sam." Dean said.

Castiel smiled at his friends, but Merlin couldn't bring himself to do it. Sam's word reminded him of how he used to tease Arthur about being thick, and the memories cut like knifes into his heart. He looked back down into the book, trying to focus on the words as he fought back the tears. Suddenly, he felt someone sit down next to him. Merlin looked up from his book to see Castiel sit beside him, studying him.

"I have noticed that you are a bit sad." Castiel said. "I can feel the sorrow radiate from you."

"No." Merlin answered automatically. "I am fine."

Then he drew a deep breath.

"Actually," He said. "I am not. I do feel a bit under the weather."

It wasn't the whole truth. He was sad and not sick, but he didn't want to tell Castiel. The angel gave him a very confused look before he turned his head up towards the ceiling.

"I don't understand." He finally said. "Aren't we all under the weather? Shouldn't we all feel it then? And how do you feel that you are under it?"

Merlin gave Castiel a long and confused look. Was the angel messing with him? But Castiel looked genuinely confused, and Merlin realized that the angel wasn't joking. His confusion made Merlin started laughing, and when he did, the tears he had been fighting back started to fall, mixing the laughter with sobs.

"I don't understand." Castiel said. "Are you happy or sad?"

His confusion made Merlin laugh even more, the tears now running down his cheeks.

"Dean!" Castiel called, panic in his voice. " _Dean_!"

Dean came running seconds later, gun in hand. He gave the laughing/crying Merlin a confused look before he turned to Castiel.

"Cas," he said. "What is going on?"

"I think I broke Merlin." Castiel said, his head bowed as of a child who was confessing that he had broken something.

Dean gave Merlin an almost frighten look, and panic started to show in his eyes. He could fight vampires and witches any day, without hesitation, but extreme emotions scared him.

" _Sammy_!" he yelled in panic.

A short while later, Merlin had finally calmed down. Sam had come running the second Dean called for him, and then immediately sent his confused brother and Castiel away. With them gone, Merlin quickly got control of his emotions. He could still feel the laughter in his stomach. It had been good to him, but the sorrow was still left in his heart, and Sam could see it in Merlin's eyes. Dean and Castiel had come back, and they were now back to their research.

"Merlin," Castiel suddenly said. "Why were you sad?"

Merlin hesitated, but then drew a deep breath and closed his book.

"I was thinking of Arthur. Seeing you three together made me think of him. Something Sam said reminded me of him."

"You miss him very much?" Castiel suggested.

"I do." Merlin said, and even Castiel could see the sorrow in his eyes. "Very much."

Castiel sat quite for a couple seconds, before he suddenly rose to his feet.

"Cas?" Dean asked.

"I need to do something." Castiel said, and the next second, he was gone.

"Where did he go?" Merlin asked.

"Who knows?" Sam said. "He is an angel. They come and goes as they please."

Suddenly, Sam fell on his knees, his hand on his head and a look of pain on his face.

"Ough." He grunted.

"Sam? Are you alright?" Dean asked worryingly and kneeled next to his brother.

"It is my head." Sam said through the pain.

"Are you having another vision?" Merlin said and rose to his feet.

"It feels like it." Sam grunted. "Only the vision won't come. It is like something is blocking it."

Sam grimaced in pain, and Dean kneeled next to him, a supporting hand on Sam's shoulder.

"The worst is over now." Sam finally said and breathed out.

"Did you see anything?" Merlin asked.

"No." Sam said and rose with the help from Dean. "And that has never happened before. Maybe something is blocking it out."

"Maybe." Merlin said, not entirely convinced.

"Merlin, do you know why I have these visions?" Sam asked.

"I am sorry, I don't." Merlin said honestly. "Morgana had them when her magic woke, but I don't sense any magic in you Sam."

He gave Sam a curious look.

"But _you_ did sense _my_ magic when you entered this house. And I saw the look on your face when I put down the wardings."

"Yes." Sam nodded. "Do you know why?"

"I think so." Merlin said. "I think your body is preparing to host a magical being."

"What do you mean?" Sam asked.

"All the supernatural, including Lucifer, has traces of magic in them. Some more than others. You can sense magic because your body is preparing to host Lucifer, including all of his power, and thereof, magic."

Sam was quiet for a while, taking it all in.

"But why is it so very strong with you?" He asked. "I get that you are powerful, but you are not _that_ powerful, right? Because it practically radiates from you."

Merlin blushed.

"You are?" asked Sam.

"It is nothing." Merlin said humbly.

"That is a lie and you know it." Sam said. "Please tell me."

"Well, as you may have notice, I am sort of immortal. The druids once said that I was the most powerful sorcerer ever to walk the earth. I am the last Dragonlord, a power inherited on my father's side from father to son for centuries. I was born with and out of magic, so in a way, I sort of _am_ magic."

"What?!" Sam said.

"I know," Merlin said, blushing. "It is embarrassing."

"Embarrassing?" Dean said, joining the conversation. "Dude, that is awesome!"

Merlin smiled a shy smile.

"I might have something for that headache of yours by the way." Merlin said when he noticed that Sam was still massaging his temple. "I will be right back."

"Thank you, Merlin." Sam said with a smile.

Merlin left the brothers to go look for some herbs in the pantry.

Dean turned to his younger brother.

"Sam." Dean said and pointed towards where Merlin had disappeared. "That dude is awesome."

"He sure is." Sam said with a smile.

"Cas." Dean suddenly said.

Sam turned around to see Castiel standing in the doorway. Behind him, a young man appeared. He gave the brothers a small nod.

"Who are you?" Dean asked the newcomer.

"Sam, Dean." Castiel said. "This is…"

A loud shatter interrupted him and made them all turn around. Merlin stood there, his face pale and with tears in his eyes. At his feet laid a shattered bowl.

"I see that nothing has changed." The stranger said with a smile. "You are as clumsy as ever."

"Arthur." Merlin whispered.

 **A/N: Hi! I am sorry this took so long to upload, but I had a hard time getting it right. I hope you liked it, and I am sorry (not) to end it with a cliff-hanger. Thank you so much for reading and sticking with the story. It means so much to me!**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

" _Arthur_."

The Winchesters turned to look at Merlin. He'd turned extremely pale. There were tears in his eyes, and his hands were shaking. By his feet laid a broken pot. The newcomer stepped pass Castiel, and entered the room. He was a young blond man. He held his head high and his back straight, as if he had been told to rise above others his entire life. There was something about him, something that made both Sam and Dean take a step back when he came closer. Not in fear, but respect. This man was a _king,_ in every way every story, every fairy tale, ever described one. Like Merlin's aura, there was something about the newcomer that made Sam feel safe.

"Hello Merlin." The newcomer said.

"Arthur." Merlin whispered again.

Then suddenly, the room got dark, like when a cloud blocks the sun on a sunny day. Sam shivered, and then he felt it. A huge force of power.

"Merlin?" Sam asked carefully.

All heads turned towards the warlock.

His eyes were golden.

"How dare you?" Merlin said.

His voice was low, dark, and it practically vibrated with power.

"Merlin?" the newcomer said.

"How dare you? How dare you wear his face?!"

Merlin was now screaming, the magic getting thicker and the room darker.

"What are you?" Merlin screamed. "A demon? A vampire? Answer me!"

"Merlin, you need to calm down!" Castiel said.

Merlin ignored him, lightning bolts practically shooting from his eyes.

"Merlin," the newcomer said, "it's me, Arthur."

This seemed to make the warlock even angrier, as the room got even darker.

"The wardings." Sam suddenly said and took a step forward.

"Sam!" Dean yelled.

Sam ignored him.

"Merlin, listen to me. The wardings."

"What about them?" Merlin growled in a warning.

"Are they still up?" Sam asked, fully aware that they were.

"Yes." Merlin growled.

"Can they, unless you give your permission, let anything supernatural pass?"

"No." Merlin said, his voice a little calmer now.

"Have you, beside Castiel, give permission to let anything supernatural pass?"

Merlin froze.

"No." he said, his voice now uncertain, drained.

Sam could to his relief see the gold disappear from Merlin's eyes, and he felt the magic force ebb out. The room got lighter.

"So," Sam said, "this man must be Arthur. Because otherwise, Cas wouldn't be able to bring him here."

Merlin nodded.

"You should listen to him you clotpole." The man, who they now were convinced were Arthur, said.

The words made Merlin froze, and suddenly, the darkness disappeard.

"That's my word." Merlin said.

"Well, it certainly suits you."

Arthur smiled. Merlin couldn't move. He had pictured this moment for over a thousand years. He had gone through a thousand scenarios of how he would meet his old friend again. He'd written speech after speech of what he'd say to him. But now, when the moment was here, when Arthur – _Arthur –_ stood there, in the flesh, in his house, Merlin's lips were sealed. The man in front of him looked like Arthur. He _felt_ like Arthur. But Merlin couldn't allow himself to believe it just yet. Destiny had burnt him to many times before for him to believe in it any longer.

"If I remember correctly, you usually never stopped talking." Arthur said.

The familiarity in the words made Merlin smile a small smile. It was Arthur's words, Arthur's voice. But Merlin still couldn't say anything, and silence fell over the little house. The five men stood quiet for a minute. Merlin just stared at Arthur, and the Winchesters' eyes went from Merlin to Arthur, and then back at Merlin again. Castiel stood quietly in the background, taking it all in.

"It is you. It looks like you." Merlin said to Arthur. "But I still can't believe it."

Arthur smiled a sad smile.

"Ask me something. Something only I would know."

Merlin looked at Arthur, hope in his eyes. He took a deep breath and put all his hope in one question.

"Describe ´Dollop-head´." He said.

The two brothers and the angel looked confused at each other. Merlin prayed to everything he could think of that Arthur would remember.

"In two words?" Arthur said with a smile.

"Yeah."

"Prince Arthur."

That was all Merlin needed. He rushed forward and wrapped his arms around Arthur. Small sobs escaped him, but Merlin didn't care. Arthur had once told him that no man was worth Merlin's tears, but despite what Merlin had answered – _you're certainly not –_ Arthur definitely was.

"I guess that's all the proof we need." Sam said.

Dean nodded. After a minute, Merlin finally let go of Arthur, tried to wipe his tears which was still running down his cheeks, and turned to the brothers.

"Arthur," He said, "This is Sam and Dean Winchester. They are kind of the reason why you are here."

Dean opened his mouth to protest, to defend Sam, but Merlin just held his hand up.

"Right now, I'm so happy that I don't even care. I'm even thanking you for it."

Sam looked at him confused but with a little smile. He had never expected to be _thanked_ for being the true vessel of Lucifer, and the eventual destruction of the entire world.

"Sam, Dean," Merlin continued. "This is my _friend_ and king, Arthur Pendragon."

Behind him, Arthur looked like he was going to say something.

"Shut up Arthur." Merlin said before he had the chance.

"I didn't say anything." Arthur said.

"You were thinking it. And thinking is not good for you." Merlin teased.

"Shut up Merlin." Arthur said automatically, earning a huge smile from his friend.

The two brothers chuckled. The men before them may not be brothers by blood, but it was clear they were family. Sam smiled in happiness for his new friend.

"Christo." Dean muttered under his breath, trying to hide it with a fake cough.

Merlin who heard him rolled his eyes.

"He's not a demon Dean." Merlin said.

"Can't be too sure." Dean muttered.

Merlin rolled his eyes again and turned his attention back at Arthur. He just stared at him, a big happy smile on his face.

"How can you be here though?" Sam finally said, saying the question on everyone's mind out loud. "And why now?"

"Ask him." Arthur said and nodded towards Castiel, who up until now had stood awkwardly in the background. "One minute I was dancing with my wife Gwen," Arthur continued, "then he showed up and the next second I was here."

"Cas." Dean said hoarsely, pride and admiration in his voice.

Merlin faced Castiel.

"You… you brought him here?" Merlin asked, his eyes starting to fill with tears once more.

"I… I suppose I did." Castiel said. "But I can't explain it either."

"Thank you." Merlin whispered. "Thank you."

Tears started to fall down the warlock's cheeks once again, but he still managed to give Castiel a huge grateful smile.

"I don't understand." Castiel said to Sam. "Did I do something wrong? Why is he crying?"

"No Cas." Sam said with a little smile. "You didn't. You did something really good."

"Thank you Sam." Castiel said.

"What I just don't understand is _how_ you did it Cas." Dean said.

Castiel shrugged his shoulders.

"It's a mystery for me as well." Castiel said. "I went up to Heaven just to see if I could find Arthur, and maybe even figure out when he was supposed to be back. And when I found his heaven, the door was open, and when I entered, I saw him dancing with a woman. She must have known why I was there, because she told him to go, and Arthur agreed. I didn't think we would be able to get here, but thought it didn't hurt to try. And it worked."

Merlin didn't know what to say. Never in his wildest dreams could he think that something like that was possible. Suddenly, he was starting to feel weak in his knees, the emotional roller-coaster he had experienced during the day finally taking its toll.

"Merlin?" Arthur asked worryingly when he noticed his friend's pale face.

Four worried faces turned towards the warlock.

"I'm alright." Merlin reassured them.

Arthur however ignored his reassurance and ushered his friend to a bench, almost forcing him to sit down, before he sat down next to him. He looked like he wanted to say something, but then he remembered that they weren't alone.

Thankfully, Sam noticed.

"We'll go to town." He said, gesturing towards himself, Castiel and Dean. "We'll stay there overnight, so you can have a chance to catch up."

Arthur nodded, not showing any emotions, but Merlin looked up and gave Sam a thankful smile as the young hunter ushered Dean and Castiel out of the door. When the door closed behind them, Merlin turned to Arthur. For a moment, there was an awkward silence, before Merlin finally spoke up.

"So, I guess you've a lot of questions?"

"Tons." Arthur said. "But I don't know where to start."

"Anywhere you want." Merlin said. "For once in my very long life, I've nothing to hide."

Arthur took a deep breath."

"Where am I? _When_ am I? Because Sam, Dean and Castiel are hardly from Camelot."

"You're in a country called England," Merlin said, "which once were the land of Albion. The year is 2010. The lake outside is where I… where I…."

"Where you what?" Arthur asked carefully.

"Where I buried you 1500 years ago."

"1500 years?" Arthur said. "Merlin, don't be ridiculous."

Merlin just stared at him, traces of sorrow in his eyes.

"I'm very serious Arthur. I've waited a long time."

"Waited?" Arthur asked.

Merlin drew a deep breath.

"I was promised the day you died that one day, when Albion needed you the most, you may return. Didn't think it would take this long though." Merlin said with a sad smile.

It broke Arthur's heart to see Merlin like this. Merlin, his friend who always made a joke or tried to insult him. Merlin, who would drag him out of his bed in a manner no one else dared. Merlin, who would follow Arthur wherever Arthur went, no matter how dangerous. Merlin, who was the true heart of Camelot, even if Arthur would die – _again –_ before he ever admitted that. Now his friend was broken. Traces of his goofiness, of the old Merlin, could still be seen when the mask broke, but they were hidden behind great sadness. Arthur didn't even want to think what Merlin had went through during all these years. If Arthur hadn't trained so hard to fight back his tears, they would have rolled down his cheeks by now.

"Merlin?" Arthur said, his voice low.

"Yes Arthur?" Merlin replied.

"I never meant it. All the things I said, about you being stupid and a coward, I never meant them."

"I know." Merlin said quickly.

"No." Arthur said, shaking his head. "Let me finish. You were the bravest, most loyal friend anyone could ever ask for, and I'm so sorry that being my friend caused you so much heartbreak. All those years Merlin, and you never once sought any credit. All those attacks, and I never once believed you. All those coincidences, all that luck, realizing that was _you._ The way I reacted when I found out… I'm sorry."

Merlin didn't know what to say, but Arthur was rewarded with a sad smile, and it took him back to a memory of Camelot. Suddenly, he grabbed Merlin's head under his arm and started rubbing his hair.

"Aow! Aow!" Merlin yelled.

When Arthur finally let go, the two friends looked at each other. Then a huge smile spread across their faces, and they both started laughing. For the rest of the night, Merlin and Arthur talked. Arthur asked questions, Merlin answered. The talked about their memories from Camerlot, mixing both tears and laughter. And slowly, _slowly,_ the sadness started to disappear from Merlin's face.

 **A/N: I'm so sorry it has been so long. This chapter was so hard to write, and it didn't go as I wanted it to. Arthur and Merlin deserves a far better reunion then I could give them. I promise there will be a lot more plot in the next chapter. Anyhow, thank you so much for reading and following the story!**


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